In the News

Check out some of the news and reviews of Stanford Symphony Orchestra and Stanford Philharmonia below:

Paul Phillips has been named the new Director of Orchestral Studies at Stanford and will take over the baton from Interim Music Director and Conductor Anna Wittstruck as Music Director and Conductor of the Stanford Symphony Orchestra and Stanford Philharmonia, beginning the 2017-18 academic year! READ MORE

“Stanford Philharmonia conductor orchestrates a set of challenges: Three 19th-century French works are paired with a world premiere by a local musician and composer, commissioned by a Stanford alumnus…” READ MORE

– Stanford Report, November 8, 2016

“This weekend is the crowning jewel: it’s the culmination of a year’s worth of musical training and effort by our undergraduate and graduate students and a moment when our two orchestras – Stanford Symphony Orchestra and Stanford Philharmonia – have come together to play Mahler’s First Symphony…” READ MORE

– Stanford Report, May 19, 2016

“SSO captured the mood from the start with a mysterious motif in the strings; this accompaniment was perfectly balanced with solos from the wind section… The ensemble’s technical brilliance only grew more apparent as Sano led the group, creating joyous crescendos and lyrical, expressive melodies. The SSO, [Stanford Symphonic Chorus] and soloists truly captured Brahms’ intellectual complexity and musical prowess with their performance.” READ MORE

– Stanford Daily, March 6, 2015

“The [Stanford Philharmonia] drilled through Haydn’s lean and hungry scoring with compelling flow. The slow movement… had a vivid dynamic push.” READ MORE

– San Francisco Classical Voice, February 19, 2015

“SSO brought impressive clarity in articulation and entrances, with Cai coaxing an exquisite balance between instrumental sections and contrasting melodic lines. From the persistent, ominous pulse of ‘Mars, Bringer of War’ to the lumbering, ponderous chords of ‘Saturn, Bringer of Old Age,’ the orchestra performed as a cohesive unit, pulling back and moving forward together through majestic, soaring phrases and staccato scales.

The ensemble’s brilliant technique was particularly evident in the opening of ‘Mercury, the Winged Messenger,’ in which the players bolted rapidly through lively scales, remarkably clear and splendidly playful in this capricious movement.” READ MORE

– Stanford Daily, February 4, 2015

“These are students pursuing two paths in their lives, with their musical skills on such a high level they would be welcome in any professional orchestra anywhere… the young orchestra players performed with admirable skill, both as ensemble musicians and as skilled principals and soloists – flutist Darien French-Owen, clarinetist Jeff Wolfeld, oboist Steven Robles and several others played some fine solos.” READ MORE

– Peninsula Reviews, May 13, 2013

“Cai’s control here was impressive — guiding his players through the many tricky entrances, holding back the tempos to fill a well of passion. As the horns sustained their final notes in this slow movement, the timpanist put his ear to his drumheads, quietly re-tuning them for what was to come: Nakamatsu’s breakout into the finale, with its dancing rhythms. This was something to witness.”“Conductor and orchestra tapped into Beethoven’s drama and forward thrust, driving through those final triumphant chords, and the audience jumped to its feet to cheer this first ‘Beethoven Project’ event.” READ MORE